Support Block for a Watercraft

ABSTRACT

A support block for a watercraft which can include a pontoon having a keel strip, comprises a curved upper surface for accommodating the bottom of the watercraft, wherein upper surface has a radius of curvature that is larger than the radius of curvature of the bottom of the watercraft, and the block is made from a material that will deform when loaded such that the upper surface will conform to the radius of the bottom of the watercraft. The upper surface of the block can have a notch for accommodating the keel strip.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No.61/057,526, filed May 30, 2008, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often necessary to take watercraft out of the water for storage.The watercraft can be placed on a support structure so that it does notrest directly on the ground. Watercraft such as pontoon boats have atleast one, usually two, pontoons that are cylindrical in shape and havea thin keel strip running along the bottom-most portion of the pontoon.Previously, supports for pontoon boats have been made from hardmaterials such as concrete, wood, or hard plastic have been used tosupport pontoon boats. When using a hard support, all of the weight ofthe boat is concentrated on the contact point between the keel strip andthe support. This support arrangement can damage the bottom of thepontoon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a support block for a watercraft comprises acurved upper surface for accommodating the bottom of the watercraft,wherein upper surface has a radius of curvature that is larger than theradius of curvature of the bottom of the watercraft, and the block ismade from a material that will deform when loaded such that the uppersurface will conform to the radius of the bottom of the watercraft. Thewatercraft can have at least one pontoon with a keel strip, and theupper surface of the block can have a V-shaped notch for accommodatingthe keel strip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a boat supported by a support system comprisinga set of support blocks according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a support block according to a firstembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the support block from FIG. 2 in an unloadedconfiguration.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the support block from FIG. 2 in a loadedconfiguration.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a support block according to a secondembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the support block from FIG. 5 in an unloadedconfiguration.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the support block from FIG. 5 in a loadedconfiguration.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a support block according to a thirdembodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a support system 10 is illustratedfor supporting a watercraft 100 when the watercraft 100 is out of water,such as when it is on a ground surface G. The support system 10 includesat least one support block 12 on which the watercraft 100 rests, andwhich is in turn intended to rest on a ground surface. The support block12 can support many different types of watercrafts 100, includingwatercrafts having at least one pontoon, such as a pontoon boat,watercrafts having a V-shaped hull, non-powered watercrafts such ascanoes and kayaks, and personal watercrafts such as Jet Skis. Asillustrated, the support system 10 can support a watercraft 100comprising a pontoon boat having two pontoons 102, each having a keelstrip 104.

Referring to FIG. 2, a first embodiment of the support block 12 isshown, and comprises a rectilinear base 14 defining the effective lowersurface of the support block 12, and a peripheral wall having a pair ofgenerally parallel front and rear walls 16, 18 joined with a pair ofangled lateral walls 20, 22. The walls 20, 22 are angled to extendinwardly toward each other stating at the base 14. The support block 12further comprises an upper wall 24 defining the effective upper surfaceof the support block 12 which is joined to the base 14 by the peripheralwall. The upper wall 24 includes a concave portion or surface 26extending between two generally planar portions or surfaces 28, 30 whichjoin the upper wall 24 to the lateral walls 20, 22. As illustratedherein, the upper wall 24 comprises a channel in the form of a V-shapednotch 32 formed along the nadir of the concave surface 26 and extendingfrom the front wall 16 to the rear wall 18.

Referring to FIG. 3, the support block 12 can receive a pontoon 102having a keel strip 104. As illustrated, the radius of curvature R ofthe concave surface 26 can be deliberately shallower than the effectiveradius of curvature R_(P) of the bottom of a known watercraft 100. Inthe case of a pontoon boat having one or more pontoons 102, theeffective radius of curvature R_(P) is the radius of curvature of thepontoon 102, not taking the keel strip 104 into account. In the case ofother watercrafts having a hull, the effective radius of curvature R_(P)is the approximate radius of curvature of the bottom portion of the hullthat will rest on the support block 12. An exemplary radius of curvatureR of the concave surface 26 can range from 21 to 27 inches. For pontoonboats, it has been found that a radius of curvature R of approximately25 inches will effectively support a pontoon boat having a pontoon 102of typical size. While the radius of curvature R of the concave surface26 can be equal to or slightly less than the effective radius ofcurvature R_(P) of the bottom of the watercraft 100, it is preferredthat the radius of curvature R is greater than the effective radius ofcurvature R_(P).

Referring to FIG. 4, the support block 12 is loaded with the pontoon102, with the pontoon 102 resting on the upper surface 24 and its keelstrip 104 received in the notch 32. Under the weight of the pontoon 102,the support block 12 will compress and conform to the contours of thepontoon 102 and the ground surface G. The upper surface 24 will contourto the shape of the pontoon 102, with the center of the concave surface26 deflecting downward and the planar surfaces 28, 30 deflecting towardeach other to effectively cradle the pontoon 102. The planar surfaces28, 30 may also deform and contour to the shape of the pontoon 102. Theradius of curvature R of the concave surface 26 will become essentiallyequal to the radius of curvature R_(P) of the pontoon 102. The notch 32can also contour to the shape of the keel strip 104. The base 14 canalso contour to the shape of the ground surface G. For purposes ofillustration, the deformation of the support block 12 has beenexaggerated in FIG. 4. While not shown, the lateral walls 20, 22 canalso bow out slightly under the weigh of the pontoon 102.

Referring to FIG. 5, a second embodiment of the support block 12 isshown. The second embodiment is substantially similar to the firstembodiment, except that instead of a V-shaped notch 32, the upper wall24 comprises a channel in the form of a wider notch 34 formed along thenadir of the concave surface 26 and extending from the front wall 16 tothe rear wall 18. As illustrated, the wider notch 34 istrapezoid-shaped, and comprises a generally planar bottom surface 36extending between two angled surfaces 38, 40 which join to the concavesurface 26.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the wider notch 34 makes it easier to lowerthe keel 104 of the pontoon 102 into the cut-out area of the supportblock 12. The narrow width of the V-shaped notch 32 can make itdifficult to properly align the keel 104 with the support block 12. Thewider notch 34 reduces the precision requires to place the pontoon 102on the support block 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the support block 12 is loaded with thepontoon 102, with the pontoon 102 resting on the upper surface 24 andits keel strip 104 received in the notch 34. Under the weight of thepontoon 102, the support block 12 will compress and conform to thecontours of the pontoon 102 and the ground surface G, in a similarmanner as described for the first embodiment with reference to FIG. 4.The notch 34 can also contour to the shape of the keel strip 104, withthe planar bottom surface 36 bowing under pressure from the keel strip104. For purposes of illustration, the deformation of the support block12 has been exaggerated in FIG. 7. While not shown, the lateral walls20, 22 can also bow out slightly under the weigh of the pontoon 102.

Referring to FIG. 8, a third embodiment of the support block 12 isshown. Like the second embodiment, the third embodiment comprises thewider notch 34. However, the height H₂ of the third embodiment thesupport block 12 is less than the height H₁ of the second embodiment,where the height of the support block 12 is defined as the distancebetween the base 14 and the planar surfaces 28, 30. An exemplary heightH₁ of the second embodiment is about 10.75 inches, while an exemplaryheight H₂ of the third embodiment is about 6 inches. Thus, the thirdembodiment the support block 12 can be considered a “low-profile”support block 12. A low profile support block 12 is required for a boattrailer with a lower ground clearance. Further, a low profile supportblock 12 reduces the height of the boat above the ground surface, makingit easier for users to look into the boat. This may be especiallybeneficial in showrooms, where customers can look into a boat withoutclimbing steps or standing on a platform. There is also a slightly lowermaterial cost for the low profile support block.

The support block 12 of any of the embodiments can be fabricated from aresilient polymeric material, such as expanded polystyrene foam. Thedensity of the support block 12 can be configured to compress or deformwhen loaded, such as with the watercraft 100 (FIG. 1). For pontoonboats, it has been found that the density of the support block 12 canrange from 1.1 lbs/ft³ to 1.5 lbs/ft³. It has been discovered that adensity of 1.0 lbs/ft³ is too spongy to support a pontoon boat and havethe desired functionality.

Testing performed in accordance with ASTM C578-07 entitled“Specification for Rigid, Cellular Polystyrene Thermal Insulation” andASTM D1621-04a entitled “Method for Compressive Properties of RigidCellular Plastics” has shown that the support block 12 made from apolystyrene foam having a density within the given range of 1.1 lbs/ft³to 1.5 lbs/ft³, an upper wall 24 with a surface area of approximately 76in², a base 14 with a surface area of approximately 96 in², and a heightbetween the base 14 and the planar surfaces 28, 30 of approximately10.75 inches is capable of withstanding a compressive force ofapproximately 20 psi. Therefore, each such support block 12 is capableof supporting a load of approximately 1,520 lbs (76 in²×20 psi).Therefore, four such support blocks 12 can support a load over 6000pounds, with some distortion. This is more the sufficient to supportmany types of watercraft 100 on the market. For example, a pontoon boathaving a length of 21 ft. with a 50 hp motor weights approximately 2,300lbs. A pontoon boat having a length of 25 ft. with a 90 hp motor weightsapproximately 3,500 lbs.

The invention provides a support system for a watercraft 100 comprisingat least one support block 12 is lightweight, provides stability, evenlydistributes the weight of the watercraft 100, reduces stress on thewatercraft 100, and can fit watercrafts of many different sizes. Thecompression of the support block 12 evenly distributes the weight of thepontoon 102 over a larger surface area than if the support block 12 didnot compress or conform. Moreover, the compression of the support block12 increases the stability of the pontoon 102 on the support block 12because the pontoon is cradled by the deflection and deformation of theupper surface 24 and lateral walls 20, 22. Furthermore, the supportblock 12 further reduces stress on the pontoon 102 by providing a stablesurface even on uneven ground through the contouring ability of thesupport block 12. The radius of curvature R of the concave surface 26can be deliberately shallower than the radius of curvature R_(P) ofknown pontoons 102 to enable the support block 12 to fit any sizepontoon 102.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variationand modification are possible within the scope of the forgoingdisclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of theinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

1. A support block for a watercraft having a bottom having an effectiveradius of curvature comprising: a deformable body having an uppersurface, a lower surface, and a peripheral wall connecting the upper andlower surface; and a concave portion provided in the upper surface andhaving a radius of curvature that is greater than the effective radiusof curvature of the bottom of the watercraft; wherein the body is madefrom a material that will deform when loaded such that the concaveportion will conform to the bottom of the watercraft.
 2. The supportblock according to claim 1, wherein the material comprises expandedpolystyrene foam.
 3. The support block according to claim 1, wherein thematerial comprises a density of approximately 1.1 lbs/ft³ to 1.5lbs/ft³.
 4. The support block according to claim 1, wherein the concaveportion has radius of curvature of approximately 21 to 27 inches.
 5. Thesupport block according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion hasradius of curvature of approximately 25 inches.
 6. The support blockaccording to claim 1 and further comprising a channel formed in theupper surface for accommodating a keel strip on the bottom of thewatercraft.
 7. The support block according to claim 6, wherein thechannel is formed in the nadir of the concave portion.
 8. The supportblock according to claim 6, wherein the channel is V-shaped.
 9. Thesupport block according to claim 6, wherein the channel istrapezoid-shaped.
 10. The support block according to claim 1, whereinupper surface further comprises a pair of planar portions that join theconcave portion to the peripheral wall.
 11. The support block accordingto claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a rectilinear basedefining the lower surface and the peripheral wall comprises a pair ofopposing parallel walls and a pair of opposing angled walls joined tothe base.
 12. The support block according to claim 1, wherein thewatercraft is a pontoon boat having at least one pontoon, and theeffective radius of curvature is the radius of curvature of the pontoon.13. A support block system for a pontoon boat having at least twopontoons, each with a predetermined radius of curvature, the systemcomprising: a plurality of support blocks, each support block comprisinga deformable body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and aperipheral wall connecting the upper and lower surface, and a concaveportion provided in the upper surface and having a radius of curvaturethat is greater than the predetermined radius of curvature of the atleast two pontoons, wherein the body is made from a material that willdeform when loaded such that the concave portion will conform to the atleast two pontoons.
 14. The support block system according to claim 13,wherein the material comprises expanded polystyrene foam.
 15. Thesupport block system according to claim 13, wherein the materialcomprises a density of approximately 1.1 lbs/ft³ to 1.5 lbs/ft³.
 16. Thesupport block system according to claim 13, wherein the concave portionhas radius of curvature of approximately 21 to 27 inches.
 17. Thesupport block system according to claim 13, wherein the concave portionhas radius of curvature of approximately 25 inches.
 18. The supportblock system according to claim 13, wherein each support block furthercomprises a channel formed in the upper surface for accommodating a keelstrip on the at least two pontoons.